Heated steering-wheel.



O. BERG.

HEATED STEERING WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED MAR,25,1907.

' W/TNESSES (VzarZesBer B) I I WLJr// ATTORNEYS PATENTED FEB. 11, 1908.

UNITED sTATEs P T N onnrc CHARLES BERG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

1 nnn'rnn Manama-main To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LCHARLES BERG, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Heated Steering-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionis a heated steering wheel, i

and, more particularly, one which is heated by electricity.

It has long been recognized that in cold weather the chilling of steering wheels, and more especially those of automobiles, is a great inconvenience and disadvantage to operators, and, furthermore, precludes them from exercising the same control over such machines during the winter months as is possible in warm weather. This invention obviates the disadvantages referred to in that the heating power of elec-' in is to be understood as illustrative only,

tion.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a steering 0st, and the heated steering wheel and not as defining the limitsof the invencontemp atedbythis invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the steering wheel. Fi 3 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of e ectrical resistance coils adapted to be individually and severally su plied with current.

In one embo iment of y invention the steering wheel A consists of a hub a, a plurality of radial spokes a" and a ,rim a These parts may be made in any suitable or approved way, but it is preferred to employ a hollow rim (1 the latter being circular in cross section. V t

The hollow rim of the steering ear is made, preferably, of metal, (1 it ouses or incases an electrical heater. Various forms of means for electrically heating the steering wheel mhy be employed, but in the drawings I have shown an electrical heater consisting of a plurality ofccils, one of which Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed liaroh 25 1907- Berial No. 36 1-338 shown one Patented Feb. 311, items.

may be suppliedwith current for the urpose of heating the steering wheel to a low temperature, but provision is made for including said coils in series, for the purpose of perature in very cold weather.

As shown in Fig; 3, the electrical heater consists of a low resistance coil B and a coil@ of greater resistance than the coil B, said coils being concentric to each other and adapted to be housed or incased within the rim 0. of'the steering wheel. The coil B is connected at one end to a contact I), and said coils are connected, also, with a common contact I). The feed wire sis in electrical connection with the switch D, and the-return wire a is connected with said, coils B C. With the switch in the position shown in'hig. 3, no current passes through the coils. The switch is adapted to be shifted into engagement with contact I) for the purpose of 111- eluding saidcoils in series in the circuit,

whereby the current is caused to traverse both of the coils, and the marimum heatingcapacity is s'ecured. The switch, however,

. heating the steering wheel to a higher ternv may be shifted to the contact I) for the purpose of including the coil'C only in the circuit, thus reducing the capacity of the heater.

It is evident that any desired number of electrical resistances may be employed according to the heating capacity of the system, andin j suchevent, the switch and contacts must be arranged to include the resistances, either singly or in .multi le, as may be desired.

The electrical forms, but in Fig. 1 of the drawings l have ractical construction of' such heater. Wit 'n the hollow rim c is .ar ranged a core E of insulatin around this core 'iswrappe or coiledthe electrical resistance B. I The resistance is in'-- cased by a layer 'E of insulating material, and on this layeruis wrapped or coiled the electrical resistance C, the latter being in turneating appliance may be combined with the steering wheel in various material and inc-ased b another layer E of insulating materi'al. he insulating materials EE? may.

be coniposedof any thin-substance which will electrically insulate the coils B C from each other, and also electric-ally insulate the coil C from contact with the wall of the hol-' low rim 11 but such electrical insulatingma teriali should permit the free transmission of heat from the coil or coils tothe hollow'rim.

Theconductors e e are shown in Fig. 1 as ex tending through a hollow post F, the latter being attached to the hub a of the steering wheel A. The conductor 'e is secured to a bolltlfwhichextends through a bushing f of ins ating material.

,5 electrically insulate the conductor from the steerin post and the steering wheel, and said b t f serves as the electrical connection between the conductor e and the switch D,

. and also as the pivot for said switch D.v The other conductor at is incased within .a tube G of insulating material, which tube extends through one ofthe spokes at, the latter being hollow for the receptionof a part of the conductor e and its insulating tube G, whereby ed with the coils. i v y The switch contacts I) b" aremounted on, and electrically insulated from, theplate H which is attached to adjacent spokes a of the conductor e may be electrically connectthe steering wheel, but it will be understood thatthe switch contacts may be supported in any suitable way in the path of the switch D. 4 Although I ave shown the "steering wheel as being-carried by a hollow post, and

v the conductors e e as extending through said hollow post, it will be understoodthatsuch construction and arrangement, as.well as the detailed construction herein described, are

not essential parts of this'invention. A solid post ma "be substituted for the hollow post, the con uctors e e may be arranged 6Xi36I'-: nally of the steering post, and the detailed 'c(instruction of the parts may be modified v within wide limits, and without departing from the principle of this invention.

The operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. When it is desired to heat the steering wheel to a low temperature, as is frequently necessary. in

40 moderate weather, the operator turns the switch D to make the contact I), thuss'ending the current through one of the electrical resistances C and heating the wheel to the In cold weather, howdesired temperature. cl 45,,ever, 1t 1s necessary to ra se the temperature of the steering wheel, and for this purpose.

the switch D is adjusted to make the con tact b, thus sending the'current into both heating. coils which develop an increased .50 volume of heat whichis transmitted to the -hollow wheel.-

This bushing serves to 'eva'ros Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as' new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A steering wheel provided with a hollow rim, an insulating core therein, a heating coil on said core, another heating coil enveloping the first-named coil, insulations for keeping the'coils from contact with each other and,

with the wheel rim, and means whereby current may be supplied to both coils or one of said coils.

2. A hollow. steering wheel provided with a hollow circular rim, and means interiorly of said rim for electrically heating the same.

' 3. A steering wheel provided with a hollow rim, means for electrically heating said rim, and means for controlling the current supplied to said electrical heating means.

' 4. A steering wheel, a plurality of concentrio resistance coils cooperating therewith, and means for controlling the electric current individually and severally to said coils.

5. A steering wheel provided with a hollow rim, a' core of insulating material therein, and '75 aplurality of coils of different resistances confined between the wall of the rim and said core.

6. A steering wheel provided with a hollow. substantially circular rim, a plurality of heating coils of. varying resistances within said rim, and means for controlling a current individually and severally to said coils.

7. A steering wheel having a hollow rim, a plurality of heating coils of varying resistances housed within said rim, means for'electrically insulating said coils from one another and from the hollow rim, and aswitch for controlling an electric current'to said coils.

8. A hollow post, a hollow steering wheel provided with a hollow hub which is attached to said post, electrically heatedmeans incased within said Wheel, and means for supplying a current thereto through said post and the wheel hub.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

p CHARLES BERG. Witnesses: Y

H. I. BERNHARD,

JAs. H. GRIFFIN. 

